Christmas crafts event draws big crowds

The fifth annual Christmas Crafts & Caroling on Saturday is just the place for area residents to begin crossing off items from their holiday shopping lists, said Columbia County Community Events Manager Keela Colombraro.

“This is the beginning of your holiday shopping,” she said.

“If you have somebody that’s hard to shop for and you need something unique for them, this is where you go.”

More than 50 vendors will set up at the Savannah Rapids Pavilion to sell a variety of gift items, including wood carvings, jewelry, ornaments, wreaths, purses, pottery, paintings and clothing.

The holiday event has proven popular and now draws hefty crowds, Colombraro said.

The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“People come not just for the shopping but also for the live entertainment,” Colombraro said.

At 10 a.m., bell ringers from Wesley United Methodist Church will perform.

Other entertainment will be provided by a musical theater group, a caroling troupe from Atlanta and saxophonist Fred Williams.

Food and beverages also can be purchased inside the pavilion.

The event has grown so much during past years that Colombraro now has to turn vendors away, she said.

“It’s to the point now where they’re on both floors and they even spill out into the lobby,” she said. “We put them everywhere we can possibly put them.”

Next year, Colombraro said she hopes the annual Christmas event can be held at the new exhibition hall under construction at the Gateway shopping center.